Times: AD presses government to withdraw European Court submissions against Joanne Cassar

Alternattiva Demokratika’s Michael Briguglio and Silvan Agius this afternoon reiterated their call to the government to withdraw from the European Court of Human Rights case against transgender Joanne Cassar.

They were speaking during a visit to Ms Cassar at her salon in Fgura following a promise by the Prime Minister two days ago that he would address transgender issues.

An angry Ms Cassar, 31, said the government had been contesting her right to marry for the past seven years.

Dr Briguglio called on Dr Gonzi to apologise for what the government has put Ms Cassar through and withdraw from the case.

Ms Cassar who became a woman following a sex change cannot marry a man as she was born male, even though her gender on her birth certificate has been changed to female.

She had her operation nine years ago after she was diagnosed with gender identity disorder - a conflict between a person’s physical gender and self-identification.

A few months ago the European Court asked the two parties if they wanted to reach an agreement. But the Maltese government decided to go ahead with the case against Ms Cassar.

Maltese Gender Identity Law [Transgender / Intersex]

Civil Unions Parliamentary Debate and Vote

Note: The Civil Unions Bill [20/2014] has successfully passed through the Maltese Parliament with 37 votes in favour, 30 absentions and 0 votes against on the 14th April 2014. It gives the same rights and obbligations to same-sex couples as those who are registered in a civil marriage (mutatis mutandis).